Improvement in skates



To all whom it may concern:

i cited ,gaat rzte/11i@ PHINEAS sMITH, or NEWYORK, N. Y. Letters Patent No. 87,799, dated March 16, 1869; antedated Februa/ry 27, 1869.

IMPRVEMENT IN sKATEs.

The Schedule' referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name Beit known that I, PHINEAS SMTLH, of the city and county of New York, in the State ofN ew York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Skates and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the means of securing the heels of the skate to. the boot or the shoe of the user.

It is applicable to all vvarieties of what is generally known as the New York and Philadelphia Club Skate.

In the skates known by this name, the heel of eac skate is provided with a small but stout button, which projects upward therefrom, and the head of which is elongated transversely, to secure the skate to the foot.

This button is introduced into a correspondingly-elem' gated hole, made in a plate previously prepared and fixed on the basis of the boot. 'After introducing the head of the button through such hole in the plate, the skate is turned a quarter around, underthe foot, and the toe is afterward secured to the foot hy other means.

It will be of course understood, that if the button stands with its longest line transversely to the skate,

the hole of the plate in the boot must stand with its line lengthwise to the foot. Then, in order to intro-v duce the button through the hole, the skate must be held ina position at right angles to the foot, and after it is introduced in such a position, the skate being turned one-quarter around, brings it in line with the foot, and the head of the button stands crosswise of the hole, so that it cannot come out.

This mode of fastening is very convenient, and is hlyapproved, but, as heretofore constructed, it has been open to the objection that the skate is liable to rattle, or be held loosely. The neck of the button has been usually too long. v

It is impossible, in practice, to so directly and ex- I actly adjust the length of the neck to the thickness of the plate, and the ttiug of the. plate to the boot, that the button shallbe introduced easily and yet lock the skate tightly.

The shoulder, where the head of the button unites with the stem, must pass easily above .the plate when "the head of the button is introduced through the hole,

or that part of the operation cannot be conveniently performed; and it is evident that if it passes freely any.

considerable distance above the upper surface of the plate, there will be a liability to rattle, and an uncomfortable and disagreeable shaking of the skate on the boot. In-other Words, the heel of the skate will he held strongly, but not with absolute firmness-it can move alittle. v

The object `of my invention is to avoid this movement of the skate upon the boot, and to make it t with absolute firmness, without involving any diliiculty in the application of the skate, and leaving a reasonable allowance for theordinaryimperfections in the workmanship.

I effect this by the modificationf the form of the under-face of the button. l Instead of making it dat, as heretofore, I make it conoidal.

I will proceed to describe in detail what I consider the best means of carryingout my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top view ofthe heel-portion of the skate;

Figure 2 is a cross-section; and

Figure 3 is a section showing the skate confined to the boot.-

The additional views are useful mainly in illustrating the general construction and arrangement of the club skate.

Figure 4, which is a rear view, is the only one which represents the peculiarity of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

A. is the skate-iron, or runner, which -travels on the ice.

B is the heel-plate. O are braces, which connect theheelplate to the runner, by the aid of rivets, D.

The button is fixed to the heel-plate B by introducing it from below. A The part remaining below the plate B is smaller than the head of the button, and presses firmly up against the basis of the foot, as indicated.

'E is the head of the button.

c is the neck, or most contracted portion, and

lill is an enlargement, which exactly lls the hole in the plate B.

E2 is the larger plate below, which serves to secure the button iirml'y, by pressing up against the under side of the plate B. 1

G is the plate, of steel, or Iother metal,r which is screwed, or otherwise firmly fixed on the heel H of the boot. A suitable cavity should be made in yth leather of the heel, immediately over the hole in the plate G, to allow the head of the button to enter and turn freely.

The form of the button E, as seen in g. l, is elongated, with rounded sides, forming, infact, an elongated, or oval figure, substantially the same as 'thel mostapproved buttons heretofore employed, but the construction, between the top of the button and the upper surface of the plate B, hasa novel and conoidal form.

In the ordinary form of the button, the cylindrical neck c is extended up to an extent something greater than the thickness of the plate G, which is attached to It is now turned around into the line of the foot. I It turns but a short distance, before the conoidal base of the button E begins to bind tightly in the holeof the plate G. The conoidal form of the button induces the button to rise in the cavity 'in the heel of the boot; in

other words, it draws the skate tighter and tighter to the boot, as the skate is turned, and on arriving in its true position, in line With the foot, it holds the skate up immovably.

It is not absolutely essential to the temporary success of my invention thatlthe under face of the butt-on be conoidal. It may be made pyramidal, that is, with angles, instead of rounded surfaces; but if angles are allowed.' to exist, they are obviously liable to abrade the plate G, laround the hole therein.

Imperfections in the workmanship make it impossible to match these parts With absolute perfection, but I have determined, by trial, that the ordinary elasticity of the parts Will allow for all the irregularities that need occur in practice, with fair workmanship. In other words, if the button is made larger, or smaller, than is desirable, or the taper' is a little more, or less, or the hole in the plate is a little larger, or smaller, or the thickness of the plate, or the head of the button, is vtoo large, or too small, the boot will, in such cases, come to a tight t against the skate at an earlier or later period in the quarter revolution of one upon the other, but the spring of the parts will be suflcient to allow the motion to be complete, and to insure not only a 

